


Book One: Fire

by 400typesof_aloevera



Series: Avatar: The Last Earthbender [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Angst and Feels, Antagonist Sokka, Attempt at Humor, Azula (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Everyone Has Issues, Gen, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Toph is the Avatar, azula has psychosis and extreme mommy issues, earth nomad genocide, the author is projecting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26556598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/400typesof_aloevera/pseuds/400typesof_aloevera
Summary: Everything changed when the Water Nation attacked.The Avatar cycle was thought to be broken, until siblings Zuko and Azula discover a blind earthbender named Toph and get caught up in a 100 year conflict.
Relationships: Azula & Toph Beifong, Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: Avatar: The Last Earthbender [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931344
Comments: 22
Kudos: 67





	1. The Girl of Earth

“Azula, stop it!” Yelled Zuko, hearing the familiar hiss as his sister’s flames hit the water.

The young firebender turned and glared at her brother. “I’m _trying_ to practice here, Zuzu. You should consider joining me sometime.”

“What if the Water Navy was around? They’d take you away.”

“Or kill me. What a tragedy.” She made a big show of looking around the open seas. “Oh wow, no ships!” She said with a forced excitement. “Like I didn’t already check.”

“Whatever. Just focus. We’re here for food, not for you to shoot magic fire and scare away the fish.”

“It always surprises me how dismissive you, a bender, are about firebending.”

“Firebending is the reason mom got taken away. Oh right. You don’t care about that.”

“Zuzu, could we not do this right now?”

Zuko grumbled something and continued walking.

Azula lazily shot a blast of fire and a rodent that was scurrying by, yet missed. “Before you yell at me, I was trying to catch us some dinner.”

Weirdly enough, Zuko didn’t respond. Not even with an incoherent mumble. She looked up from the ground and _WOW-_

There was an eerily circular large mass of rock about 10 feet in front of them, which Zuko was staring at.

She brushed off the weird feeling the rock gave off to tease her brother. “Wow. Stunning. If only we could find something to eat in it.”

She took a deep breath, settling into a grounding stance, and shot a blast of fire at the rock.

“Azula!”

“Did you not hear me? I’m looking for food!”

Her brother looked like he was about to either explode or go insane. Possibly both.

Before he could yell at her, the rock interrupted him with a large _CRRACK._

Zuko backed away from the rock, where cracks and fractures were spreading like wildfire. A glowing light shone through the cracks, bright enough that Azula had to turn away to avoid blindness.

With a large _FWOOM,_ a column of light blasted into the sky, and Azula swore she saw a human figure in there.

The light subsides, and the human figure, a young girl, falls to the ground.

Zuko looked at her incredulously. “What the _HELL_?!”

\----- ----- ----- ----

Miles away, on the deck of a Water Navy ship, the light does not go unnoticed by the teen boy on the deck. 

His search has come to an end. 

He has found the Avatar.

\----- ----- ----- ----

Azula knew when to admit that something was a bad idea. Her blast of fire at the rock was one of those. But how was she supposed to know that a girl was inside it. She also didn’t mean to make the blast _that_ powerful.

Zuko was crouched next to her, supposedly checking for a pulse.

No way she was alive.

“She’s alive.”

“Agni above.” Grumbled Azula, walking over to her brother.

She glanced down at the girl. She was about 12, black hair worn with some sort of headband. Her clothing was unmistakably Earth Nomad in style.

Suddenly she sat up, immediately shoving Zuko and standing up. Azula found her feet encased in earth.

“Who are you guys? Where am I?” Her tone was aggressive and guarded, and she stood in a stance ready to fight.

Azula raised her hands. “Eastern Fire Tribe. Care to tell me _how_ you’re here?”

The young earthbender had already turned away from her, releasing Azula and Zuko from their earthen restraints. “What you you mean, how? I tunneled here with my badgermole, after that, uh, I dunno.”

Azula had no idea how she hadn’t noticed the badgermole, a species that everything thought was extinct, which was also inside the rock.

Zuko stood up. “My sister means that it’s near impossible. How did you survive the Water Nation? How come we haven’t seen an earthbender in 100 years?

“Well you eastern folks are a dramatic bunch. The deadliest thing about the Water Nation is their boring internal affairs.”

Azula scoffed. She had to be joking. She watched as the girl pet the giant beast. She was good at reading people, and no part of the girl’s mannerisms confirmed that this was a ruse.

“I can tell you’re laughing at me, not my joke, Sparky.”

Azula rolled her eyes at that name, turning around to face the sea. Zuko turned his attention to the earthbender.

A while later, her brother tapped her on the shoulder. “We should get home. Toph is gonna give us a ride.”

So the earthbender’s name was Toph. She was glad she wouldn’t have to hike back to their village. 

The bagermole had a saddle on it, thankfully. “This is Pissbender.” Said Toph. 

Azula decided not to acknowledge the fact that his girl had named her goddamn badgermole “Pissbender”. 

There was something depressingly funny about how the probably last earthbender in the world was a 12 year old who thought that “pissbender” was a funny name.

She studied the earthbender. She didn’t seem to be steering the badgermole, or even looking in the direction they were going. She faced Azula and her brother, but didn’t look at them. She didn’t seem to be looking at anything really, and there was a weird quality to her irises.

“You’re blind, aren’t you?” She asked.

“I can still kick your ass.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

Toph huffed, turning her back to Azula. She said something to her beast that Azula didn’t quite catch, and it began to move faster.

After riding in silence for a few moments, Zuko spoke up.

“Do you know what happened to the Avatar?” He asked.

Toph tensed up. “Nope.”

It was clear she was lying, but Azula decided to let it go.

When they arrived at the village, children clustered around Toph in awe, as she made a show of bending a piece of rock she had picked up from the ground.

Azula jumped off the beast, walking past the small group of children pestering the earthbender with endless questions.

“I’m going to practice my bending.” She said to Lo and Li, who were observing Toph from a distance. They nodded.

\----- ----- ----- ----

While Toph was off doing who knows what, Zuko was attempting to teach the kids of their tribe to wield a sword. No real swords were involved of course, just sticks that they had gathered. 

It was a pretty sad thing honestly. Every other warrior had left a few years earlier to help the Air Kingdom, leaving Zuko, his sister, and a handful of children, to defend the entirety of the Eastern Fire Tribe. Not that there was much to defend.

Earlier he would try and motivate the kids, telling them that being a warrior is honorable, it’s about defending your family and community. It never seemed to stick with them. Figures. The oldest kid in the group was 9.

Today he sat on the ground, occasionally telling someone to their stance or having to remind this one boy that, “No, you can’t hold a sword in the middle, that would hurt your hands.”

He prayed to Agni that the Water Nation would just leave them alone.

“So these are the brave warriors of the Fire Tribe huh?”

It was Toph. She sat down beside him.

“Look man, I hadn’t been to the Fire Tribes before this, but I swear it was, I dunno-”

“Less of a shithole?”

She nodded. 

“You’re thinking of the Western Fire Tribe. They’re the well-off ones.”

“Man, something about this is just... off. The way you talk about the Water Nation, and I’ve never heard of the Fire Tribes being split between East and West. It’s like-”

“You’ve been in that rock for 100 years.” Finished Azula, who was standing behind them. 

“Hold up, what fucking rock?”

“We only found you because Azula had the _great_ idea of blasting open a giant rock. There was this bright light and when it faded, you were there.” He gestured to Toph and sighed. “And... Pissbender.” 

Azula had a small smirk on her face, which quickly morphed into realization. “You’re the Avatar.”

Toph groaned, flopping over on to her back. “You caught me.” 

“I’m sorry, what?” Asked Zuko, confused.

Azula sat down. “It’s not like a regular old earthbender could create a giant beam of light. She’s been in that rock for at least 100 years, and seen by her pitiful unawareness to the current affairs of the world.”

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. His head hurt. The Avatar, here in their village. “Why didn’t you tell us?” He glared at Toph.

She sat back up. “I never wanted to be the Avatar, okay! You think I asked for this?” Toph stood up, storming off.

“Toph!” He yelled, standing up.

Azula tugged at his robe. “Zuzu, we have bigger problems.”

Zuko turned and looked in the direction she was facing. There, approaching quickly, was a ship. And not any ship. It was unmistakably, clearly, part of the Water Navy.”

He whispered curses under his breath, looking at his group of kids, who had gone from practicing to playing tag. Agni above, they were screwed.

“Practice is over.” He said. “Go back to your homes.”

The kids immediately dispersed, running up the hill and back to the village.

Azula stood up, brushing off the dirt from her clothes. “Come on. They’ll be here any minute.”

\----- ----- ----- ----

The earth shook as the ship pushed up against their shore, as the gangplank. Azula took a deep breath, settling into her firebending stance.

Zuko let loose a yell and charged at the first person to step out of the ship, wielding his dual swords. The boy, probably close to her brother's age, she noted, drew his own sword. He deflected each slice and jab with ease, and Zuko was losing ground.

She shot a blast of fire at him, which he just barely avoided. He looked at her with shock. The Water Nation had thought that there were no firebenders left here. She smirked. 

They were at an advantage here, she noted. The gangplank was wide enough for one person only. As long as Zuko could hold his ground, she could fend off the waterbenders which now shot at her from the decks and gangplank. It wasn't easy, but she could handle it.

Each dagger of ice was turned to water, falling harmlessly at her feet. Each jet of water turned to steam. She occasionally shot a blast at the boy Zuko was fighting, to keep him off balance. 

She wished Zuko would just shoot some fire at the boy himself. It didn’t seem as if he was able to bend, which was strange, considering he was the one to leave the ship first. Usually that would imply him being the leader, but in what world does a Water Navy ship have a commander who can’t bend?

Suddenly she felt a blast of water hit her foot and leg, quickly turning to ice. She cursed, turning half of her attention to melt it while trying to deflect the even constant barrage of ice daggers.

_THUNK._

She turned her head to see her brother lying at the bottom of the gangplank, knocked out. His swords had been thrown to the ground. She heated up her flames, trying to melt this damn ice quicker, despite how the heat stung.

The boy seemed uninterested in Zuko now that he was no longer a threat, but Azula knew what would happen to her. They would have no mercy on the supposed last firebender.

Finally she broke free, kicking an arc of flame at the boy, who was now walking towards her.

He ducked, yelling. “Where is the Avatar!”

Of course. 

She noted that more soldiers had joined the boy on the ground, and she also noted how Zuko was beginning to stir. It was a matter of stalling for time.

“Dead, most likely. After all, I thought the Water Nation took care of all the earthbenders.”

The boy glared at her. “I know you’re hiding him. I saw that column of light earlier.”

Agni above, she had really screwed up this time.

“The Avatar is dead. We have no idea where that light came from.”

One of the soldiers said something to him, and he glared at her. “There aren’t supposed to be any benders in the Eastern Fire Tribe.”

Zuko was awake now, taking in the situation. She shot a look at him, hoping it conveyed; _“im surrounded, outnumbered and most likely about to be killed for being a firebender, so id appreciate some help.”_

He seemed to somewhat understand, nodding at her.

“Fine then. Take me prisoner.”

They would not take her prisoner. They would either kill her, or Zuko would manage to save her somehow.

The boy shook his head. “I’m not taking any prisoners unless it’s the Avatar.”

The soldiers stepped forward.

A rock came from behind Azula, hitting the boy in the shoulder. He yelped, and rather than turning their attention to the thrower of the rock, the soldiers turned to their leader. It was only for a few seconds, but it was enough for Azula to send an arc of fire at them. This time she didn’t miss, and more than a few soldiers were now frantically trying to stop the flames from burning them

She ran over to Zuko, helping him up. He took a few steps forward, stumbling. Azula glanced back at Toph, who seemed to be holding her ground just fine against the Water Nation.

Zuko had grabbed his swords, although his stance was off balance. He had probably gotten a concussion hitting his head on the metal gangplank.

“Zuko, Toph and I can handle this. Just, go rest somewhere.”

“I’m fine.” He glared. Then he promptly doubled over, throwing up.

Azula cringed. “I can see that.”

“ARE YOU GONNA HELP ME OR NOT SPARKY!?” Yelled Toph, who had raised up a wall of earth to protect herself from the barrage of ice and water blasts. 

Azula rushed behind it. An icicle grazed her on the arm, and when she looked at it she was bleeding.

“Alright, I’ve got a plan.” Said Toph. "I just need to get on the ship, lure them away from this place. Once they're far away enough from the village, they won't bother to turn back and harass the people here."

"Get on the Water Navy ship. Are you suicidal?"

"The east has a bunch of islands, right? That hasn't changed in the 100 years I've _been in a rock_."

Azula nodded.

"You and Zuko need to follow the boat along those islands on my badgermole."

"And then what?"

"I bust myself out of the boat, meet back up with you guys, we tunnel into the earth and the Water Nation never sees me again."

"What do you mean they'll never see you again?"

"You think I wanted to be involved in a war sparky? I'm going back to my people, who had the right idea when this war started. You said you haven't seen them for 100 years? They've been hiding."

Anger bubbled up inside Azula. How could the Avatar, of all people, be so selfish? "The Earth Nomads are dead! The kings of the Water Nation killed them 100 years ago!" She yelled.

Toph's eyes widened. "You- you're wrong. The Water Nation couldn't just _do_ that."

"My grandfather saw what happened to the Western Earth Temple when he was a boy. They razed it, flooded it with tsunamis and turned it to rubble. No one expected it."

"Some of them had to survive."

"They were hunted down. The Water Nation was ruthless."

Toph shook, clenching her fists. "This is all wrong. I mean, back when I was a kid some people were worried about the Water Nation but this..."

Azula was not good at comforting people. But she had to do something. Toph probably had a mom and dad, maybe siblings, family who was dead. She took the girl's hand.

"I know. I’ve lost my fair share of people to them.”

"They can't do this." Toph's voice was shaky. Her eyes began to glow.

The girl let go of Azula's hand, standing up and facing the soldiers. She rose from the ground and rocks swirled around her.

Azula quickly stood up, ready to fight with Toph, but it was clear she needed no help. She sent the soldiers scrambling back to their ship.

She glanced over to where Zuko was sitting, who looked very confused about everything that was going on.

Toph aimed clusters of earthen shrapnel at the soldiers, showing no mercy. Azula wouldn’t be surprised if the girl was aiming to kill. That idiot boy wouldn’t seem to give up. 

An older woman yelled at him. “Sokka, we need to retreat! We don’t have the manpower for this fight!”

The boy, Sokka, glared. “No! I’m so close!”

A jagged piece of rock flew past Sokka’s head, drawing a small amount of blood. He looked in horror at the Avatar, clutching the side of his head.

A look of defeat crossed his face. "Retreat!" He yelled.

The soldiers did so without hesitation. As they attempted to sail off, Toph continued to hurl rocks at the boat in the Avatar state.

The ground under Azula's feet cracked, and as she stumbled backwards she realized what was going on. Toph had lifted up a giant slab of earth, and the firebender watched as it hurled towards the ship, pushing it out to sea and severely denting the bow.

Moments later, Toph dropped back to the ground, stumbling for a few moments before passing out.

Azula watched in anticipation and dread, praying that the ship would leave them alone, that they weren't stupid, or perhaps smart, enough to come back.

It seemed to stay in the same place for an eternity, but she let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was moving away from them.

Toph groaned, sitting up. "Woah, what happened?"

Azula looked around at the landscape. There was the main thing, the large rectangular dent in the ground, also with many other small holes.

"I thought you were blind? How can you see what happened?"

"I see through my feet. And my hands, I guess. Any earth I touch. It's what makes me such a great earthbender. Anyways, what happened?"

"You really don't remember?"

"All I remember is getting pissed because the Water Nation killed off my people. After that," She snapped her finger. "Nothing."

"You did this. You went into the avatar state." Azula replied matter-of-factly.

“Huh.” 

Azula sat down next to the earthbender. They stared at the receding silhouette of the Water Nation ship, not saying a word to one another.

Zuko joined them. “What are we gonna do now?”

Toph sighed. “As much as I don’t want to be the Avatar, I can’t let the Water Nation do this. I’ve already done enough running away.”

Azula nodded. “You have to master fire next, right? The Western Fire Tribe isn’t that far away. We can go there.”

Zuko rolled his eyes. “You just want to go there so you can learn more firebending.”

“It’s a perk, Zuzu.”

“If you say so.”

“Hey, wouldn’t you like to learn firebending from someone other than your younger sister?”

Azula felt a presence behind her. She turned around. It was Lo and Li.

“Going somewhere?” Said Li. Azula knew the woman well enough to know she had no intention of stopping them. She simply nodded.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you two.” Said Lo, looking at her and her brother. “Safe travels.” She handed both Azula and Zuko knapsacks.

Azula stood up. “Well then, we should get going.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An; hey all! kudos and comments feed my soul and give me life, overall deeply appreciated please leave them. this book is essentially my baby and ive been fixated on this idea for months pls be nice. :)


	2. The Marketplace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph and co take an accidental detour thanks to pissbender's lack of directional knowledge. Zuko makes a friend. the friend is a turtleduck btw.

Toph groaned. “I can’t believe it. Pissbender took us east, not west.” She turned towards the beast. “Man, you’re great and all, but please learn directions."

It was clear the badgermole had no idea what Toph was saying. The earthbender sighed, pulling a worm out of one her pockets, which the beast quickly ate. She patted it’s head. “Good boy, I guess.”

They stood just past a beach, in a forest clearing. A path lead to a wooden arc. Beyond that Azula could make out a small village.

Zuko stretched. “Well I’m just happy that we’re out of those tunnels. I’d be happy if I never went underground again.”

“Ha.” Replied Toph. “Good one. Anyways, I think I’m gonna check out that town.”

“What town?” Asked Zuko.

She pointed towards it. “That town.”

Azula shook her head. “This could be Water Nation territory. We should just keep traveling.”

“Look, I can handle myself. Plus, I wanna see how much things have changed in 100 years.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. We could use some more food anyways, since _someone_ dropped most of it in the tunnel.”

“I didn’t notice!” Protested Zuko.

“How do you not notice when you’ve dropped something?”

“I was asleep!”

Toph stepped between them. “Geez, chill out guys. Now c’mon, let’s check out that village.”

The earthbender grabbed both of their arms, leading them down the path. Azula yanked her hand away almost immediately, but continued to follow her.

There was what Azula assumed was a mother and her daughter, linked at the arm, talking, smiling, laughing.

She felt a pang of longing. How long had it been since she saw her mom. And even then, had they ever had a moment like that? 

Azula turned away from the family. She didn’t need to dwell on those thoughts. She pushed them down, focusing on the dirt road, one foot after the other. She didn’t need a mom.

It was better that way.

Toph sighed. “Well, villages didn’t change much in 100 years. I’m gonna go try and steal some food from the marketplace.” She pointed to the left, a cluster of wooden stands and small stone-walled shops.

“You can’t just steal from people.” Said Zuko.

“Uh, yes I can. It’s not like you have to follow me. We’ll meet back by Pissbender.”

Zuko sighed. “Fine.” He turned and started walking back to the clearing. 

“I’ll go.” Said Azula. “Unlike my brother, I have no issue with stealing.”

“Good for you.” Toph replied sarcastically, turning her attention to a food stand. Unlike the other ones, this one was made of stone. The counter, the shelves in the back, they were all clearly rock.

The earthbender smirked, flicking her wrist. One of the shelves broke down the middle. The storekeeper turned around, frantically attempting to save his product.

While he was distracted Toph casually walked forward, grabbing several pieces of food. Azula followed suit, stuffing a loaf of bread and some dried meat into her pockets. 

Toph grabbed her hand, leading her away from the stand. “Not bad Azula.” She grinned.

She pulled her hand away again. “It was nothing. That guy really should pay more attention to his food. I’m-”

A teenager boy and an old woman had stepped out of a shop. Brown skin, a Water Nation army uniform, a bandage on his head from his last encounter with Toph.

He glared. “The Avatar.” He paused. “And the firebending peasant.”

\----- ----- ----- -----

Sokka would have much rather stayed in the harbor. Yes, it would have been boring, sitting and doing nothing while waiting for their ship to be repaired. 

The only reason he was here, wandering around a cheap marketplace with Gran Gran, was to avoid Denrak. He had already seemed suspicious about the lie Sokka had made up about how their ship had been damaged.

So when he invited them for tea, and Gran Gran said they had plans, he went along with it.

Even if he hadn’t been suspicious, Sokka wouldn’t have stayed. He didn’t like Denrak, not one bit. He had always used… less than savory methods to rise to the top. It was one of those things that everyone in the military seemed to understand, even if it was never spoken about.

“Sokka, do you think this bag looks nice?” Asked Gran Gran.

He glanced in her direction. She was holding up a dull orange bag, with intricate designs of wave-like patterns sewn on the sides. He shrugged. “Sure.”

The man in the shop eyed them suspiciously, darting his eyes away whenever they made eye contact. As long as he didn’t try anything, Sokka didn’t care.

Gran Gran shook her head. “It’s hideous.”

“Ok.”

In the end she settled for another dumb trinket, this time a wood carving of a flying bison. Sokka pushed the door open, kicking a pebble on the ground.

“Can we go back to the ship now? It’s been 3 hours, I’m sure that they’ve fixed it by now.”

He lifted his head and a flash of recognition hit him as he glanced at a young girl a foot away from him. He could have recognized her anywhere. The earthbender.

Gran Gran said something about Air Kingdom food, but it was in one ear and out the other.

“The Avatar.” He hissed. “And the firebending peasant.”

The Fire Tribe girl glared. “Call me that again, I dare you.”

He had seen her in action. She had plenty of raw talent, but she lacked any sort of training. He could take _her_ easily. The Avatar however, that was difficult. 

He gripped his hand around his sword. “Come with me willingly, and no one gets hurt.”

The Avatar laughed. “Oh that’s rich. How about you get out of here, and I’ll leave you in one piece?”

He touched the bandage on his head.

“Sokka,” Gran Gran said wearily, “We don’t have the manpower for this fight.”

“I don’t need manpower!” 

As long as the Avatar didn’t get all glowy-eyed, he was fine. He could take a kid. even if it was the Avatar.

The ground rose beneath him, shaking. He fell backwards, landing on his back, the air briefly knocked out of him.

“Alright, time to go!” Yelled the Avatar. 

He reached behind his back, grabbing his boomerang and hurling it at the earthbender. It caught her in the legs, knocking her over.

“Seriously?”

A rock rose up from behind her, and she sent it rushing towards him with a thrust of her arm. He threw himself to the ground to dodge it. The boulder rushed past his face, less than an inch away.

Sokka scowled, rising from the ground and drawing his sword. The firebender began to move, and he had just enough time to dodge the incoming blast of fire. He felt the heat as the flame shot past him.

Two on one. Two on two if Gran Gran would actually join him. But he doubted that she would. He could take them. He had to. 

He charged forward, focusing on the firebender. All he had to do was knock her out, incapacitate the Avatar, and it would be over. He would finally be able to go back home.

The heat from her blasts was near unbearable, choking him up. It took all his effort to dodge, look for an opening, keep dodging. He crouched down low, slicing at her leg before rolling to the side. The girl screamed out profanities, falling onto her knee yet still fighting strong as ever.

The air was knocked out of him again, as he felt the impact of a chunk of earth hitting him in the chest. Panic seized him. Everything else faded away. All that mattered was breathing again.

He gulped in the air, forcing himself to sit up, coming face to face with yet another boulder.

“Stay down, boomerang boy.” The Avatar said threateningly.

He fell back to the ground. What was he doing? He was so close! _Get up Sokka, damn it!_ He couldn’t. He laid there, defeated, wracked with shame. He failed again.

Maybe he didn’t deserve to go home. No, that was stupid. 

Gran Gran offered her hand, helping him up. “Let’s go back to the harbor.” She said in a low voice. He nodded weakly.

His chest hurt with every breath he took. That damn girl had probably bruised, maybe fractured or broken a rib. He clenched his fists, looking down at the ground yet again.

Denrak was there when he got back, standing by the ramp of Sokka’s ship.

“You said your ship was attacked by the Air Kingdom Navy, correct Prince Sokka?”

He glared at him. “Yes.” He began to walk up the ramp, only to be cut of by the captain.

Denrak smirked. “You see, I took it upon myself to interrogate the crew while you were gone. And what do you know, I heard quite a different story.”

_Shit._

“You really are a worthless traitor. Lying about the Avatar. What should I expect from someone who’s own father _banished_ him”

He stepped forward, raising his fist. “Don’t yo-”

“Sokka.” He was interrupted by Gran Gran, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Let it go.”

He took a deep breath. “Let me on my ship. We need to leave.”

The captain gave him another chilling smile. “Trust me prince, I’ll find the Avatar before you.”

Sokka shoved past him, storming up the ramp.

No. He would find the Avatar first. He had to.

\----- ----- ----- -----

Zuko sat by Pissbender, petting the turtleduck in his lap.

He heard Azula’s voice. “Agni above,” she grumbled. “How did we run into _him_?”

He lifted his head to see a disheveled Azula and Toph. 

“What happened?”

Toph scowled. “That Water Nation guy-”

“Sokka.” Interrupted Azula.

“Yea, Sokka, was there. Fought us in the damn marketplace.”

There was a noticeable limp in his sister's walk as she walked over to Pissbender, taking food out of her pockets and putting it in an empty knapsack. His eyes were drawn to the bright red gash on her left leg, below her knee.

Azula noticed that he was looking. “I’m fine.” She snapped, ripping most of her sleeve off and wrapping it around her wound. “We should go before that oaf decides to try and chase after us. She glanced at the turtleduck in Zuko’s lap.

“So that’s what you’ve been doing while we were attacked? Petting a turtleduck?”

“Turtleducks are pussies.” Toph stated.

“No she’s not!”

“Zuzu, please tell me you aren’t planning on taking that thing with us.”

“Of course I am. It’s not like turtleducks have a specific diet, they can eat anything. She won’t be a problem.”

Azula shrugged in defeat, climbing up onto the badgermole. “Whatever. We need to go.”

Toph lifted herself up onto Pissbender with a pillar of earth, and Zuko climbed after her, placing the turtleduck on his shoulder.

The earth opened up and they headed back into the tunnel they came from. “So,” said Toph. “What’s her name?”

He shrugged. “I dunno yet.”

“Shitbender.”

“Toph, I’m this close to murdering you, Avatar or not.” Sighed Azula.

“I think I’ll call her Tao.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos make me very happy PLEASE leave them to cure my depression  
> originally i was gonna have this chapter just,, exploring azula’s trauma but instead y’all got like three lines lmao. My writing has a way of running away from me rip, i have little control over what happens.  
> im not sure if i like this chapter or not, so lemme know what you think!  
> yes, i dislike zhao so much that i have completely REMOVEd him from my fic. I mean Denrak is essentially Zhao but Water Nation. Look i just cant imagine zhao being good, and who the fuck is supposed to be the zhao? Bato? Nah man i aint doing that to him. So have a very disposable oc.


	3. Fighters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph and co meet a group of rebel fighters defending a local village from Water Nation occupation. Zuko gets his ass kicked at swordfighting. Azula, ummm, does Azula things? I'm writing this summary at a very late time zzzzz.

Toph’s smile looked eerie under the dim orange light of Azula’s flame. “Okay, we gotta make a pitstop.” She patted the badgermole twice, and it began tunneling upwards.

Zuko looked at her confused. “Is something wrong?”

Toph shook her head. “Nope. But my second favorite animal is up there.”

“And what’s that?” 

Her grin looked even more manic now. “Condor-spiders.”

Oh for Agni’s sake.

Toph must have noticed the exasperation on Azula’s face. “What?” She said. “They’re cool. They’re nomads, just like my people. A lot of the time they get associated with airbenders because they can fly, but they’re more of an earthbender type.”

“They’re hideous.”

Toph responded by throwing a pebble at her. It hit Azula squarely in the forehead. 

They reached the surface, climbing off the beast. It proceeded to shape a depression into the ground for it to curl up and lay in. Sure enough, a cluster of condor-spiders were nearby, inhabiting a large pile of rocks that extended past the shore and into the ocean. She could only see the webs on the parts that were surrounded by land.

Zuko sat down by the badgermole, cooing at his new pet. 

“Zuzu, there are real people around. You don’t have to resort to speaking with a turtleduck for social interaction.”

He shot her a look before returning to focusing on that animal. Tao? Azula couldn’t remember. 

Toph climbed up the rocks effortlessly. The condor-spiders, if they noticed her, didn’t seem to mind.

Her lack of urgency was getting annoying, but then again, Toph was just a kid. What could she expect? It didn’t stop Azula from being irritated. She was more determined to get to the Western Fire Tribe than the Agni-damned Avatar. 

Pain flared through her injured leg, and she sat down quickly, studying it. She should have changed the bandages by now. It wasn’t like she could. Her current bandages weren’t even bandages, it was a part of a sleeve of her tunic that she had ripped off. She hadn’t cleaned her wound either. She had to do that. 

Azula untied the piece of fabric. Dried blood came off with it, and her gash began to bleed again. She could see her brother looking at her with concern out of the corner of her eye. She slowly rose from the ground, walking over to the shore. She cleaned the fabric off of the dried blood, rinsed her cut, and wrapped her leg back up. 

“Shouldn’t we find a healer for that?” Zuko spoke up.

“Probably. Don’t know where we’d find one though.”

Toph yelled. “There’s an egg in here!”

Azula turned over to look at the spider nest. Toph couldn’t be seen anymore. She had probably crawled inside. Some of the holes between the rocks were more than big enough for her to crawl through.

She heard a spider hiss loudly, and Toph yelled again. “I forgot that they’re protective of their babies!”

Moments later she scrambled out of a hole in between two rocks. She took a moment to assume an earthbender stance, punching her hands up. Sand flew up into the air, disorienting the spiders. 

Webs stuck to Toph’s hair and clothes. She made her way over to the badgermole, opening her mouth to speak. “Well that was-”

A strong, very focused wind, pushed Toph. She stumbled before regaining her balance. Azula saw a figure in the direction the wind had come from and punched a blast of fire at them. They dodged easily, like a leaf in the wind.

The person, a girl with brown hair tied back in a ponytail, wielded a wooden staff. She wore orange-yellow robes. She was Air Kingdom. And she was an airbender.

“Who are you?!” She yelled.

In the corner of her eye, Azula noticed that Zuko only held one sword. The other one was holding that damned turtleduck. 

“Well we aren’t Water Nation, clearly.” Azula replied.

The girl's face softened. She scanned the surroundings, looking at their group. “Yea, sorry. I’m a bit on edge, I guess.”

“Clearly.”

“You shouldn’t be out in the open like this, it's not safe.”

“Why not?” Asked Zuko.

“The Water Nation, obviously. They’ve been trying to occupy this territory for months. Their armies are ruthless, especially against benders.” Her eyes drifted down to Azula’s leg. The blood had soaked through the cloth. “We’ve got a healer back at the hideout. Looks like you need one.”

“We?”

“I’m part of a group of people trying to keep the Water Nation out of our village. The Air Kingdom military doesn’t defend us, so we do it ourselves.” The girl’s eyes drifted to the badgermole. “Huh, I thought those were extinct.”

“Why would they be extinct?” Asked Toph, her voice wavering for a second. 

“Well, y’know, Water Nation. I wouldn’t put it past them to kill off a whole species. No one’s seen them around either. What’s his name?”

“Pissbender. The turtleduck is shitbender.”

“No she isn’t! Her name is Tao!” Protested Zuko.

“Pissbender, huh?” She laughed. “That’s golden.”

They were getting off topic. Azula cleared her throat. “So, you said you had a healer? We should probably head to your little hideout then.”

The airbender nodded. “My name’s Jinu, by the way.”

“Azula. The boy with the turtleduck is my brother Zuko.”

“Toph.” 

The earthbender clapped her hands and Pissbender got up from his resting place, walking over to her. She gave him a treat.

Jinu looked at Toph with confusion. From an outsider's perspective, Toph probably seemed quite odd. The pet badgermole, a strange lack of knowledge about current events, her unfamiliar clothes. Their whole group was odd.

“So, you’re a firebender?” Asked Juni, who had chosen to walk next to her.

Azula nodded. “So is Zuko. He just prefers not to use his abilities, for some reason.”

Her brother glared in response. 

“Is Toph from the Fire Tribes too?”

The earthbender laughed at that. “Me? Fire Tribe?”

“Well it’s not like there are many options. You aren’t Water Nation… are you from the Air Kingdom?”

Toph shifted her foot, and a small rock flew up in the air. She punched it into a tree. 

“Huh.”

“That's all you have to say?”

“I’m processing.”

They walked in silence until they reached a sheer descent of rock, the base of a jagged hill. Caves dotted the wall, some just big enough for a small child to crawl in, others large enough to accommodate a badgermole. 

“Uh, we don’t have any tunnels big enough for Pissbender that lead to the hideout. They all narrow as you walk further in, sorry.”

Toph shrugged. “It’s fine. He can handle himself for one night.” She pet the beast. “We’ll be back soon, k dude?”

Jinu nodded, hoping up to a tunnel, it’s opening being a few feet taller than her. “You guys can manage this, right?”

The earthbender squatted and punched upward, propelling a pillar of rock up to the opening, carrying all three of them. Once they were in the tunnel, it sank into the ground.

They walked further in and the light started to fade. Jinu raised her hand. “Gimme a sec to light this torch. It’s a cool trick.” She pulled an unlit torch from a pocket of her robe and sat down.

She formed an invisible ball of air around the top of the torch, staring at it with intense concentration. It clearly took a lot of effort, whatever she was doing, because beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Then a small flame appeared, and she grinned. 

“Either of us could have easily lit that.” Azula said.

Jinu shrugged. “It’s a cool technique. All you need for fire is fuel, air, and heat. Any airbender can alter temperatures of the air around them if they try. I heat up that small amount of air enough, and you get a spark.”

“So you wanted to show off.” Stated Toph. “I can get behind that.”

Jinu led the way, turned her head to look at the earthbender every few seconds. “How did you survive the Water Nation?” The upbeat tone in her voice had evaporated.

“I got stuck in a rock for 100 years.”

“How-”

“No clue.”

She paused. “You guys are an… interesting group. What are you doing around here? It’s the front lines after all, sort of dangerous for the last earthbender in the world. Especially one who fits the description of the Avatar, sort of.”

“I can handle some Water Nation goons. Plus-”

“We’ll be leaving soon.” Interrupted Azula. “We’re heading to the Western Fire Tribe. And what do you mean she fits the description?”

Jinu shrugged. “Eh, just rumors. Some Water Nation prince is looking for the Avatar. Supposed to be around 100 years old, which you technically are.” She stopped walking. “Wait. You… are you the Avatar?”

Toph groaned. “You caught me.”

“Oh! You’re going west to learn firebending.”

She nodded.

“Well, here we are.” Jinu held out her hand, gesturing to the cavern. Toph's eyes widened. “What’s wrong?” She asked.

“This place used to… this used to be a place where my people would rest during their travels. Multiple tunnels all connect to this place. It probably has some spiritual significance.”

Zuko walked up to her. “You ok?”

She lightly punched him on the arm. “Of course I’m okay you idiot.”

“Oh hey, looks like everyone’s here!” Said Jinu. 

Azula took in the surrounding cavern. It was a strange mixture of natural structures and earthbending-made objects. Slabs of raised rock where tables and chairs, stalagmites and stalactites formed through years of mineral growth. Despite the size of the cavern, it felt homey. There were tents pitched, out of privacy rather than practicality, and a fireplace in the center of it all. The warm light from the various lanterns and torches filled the space.

A girl who was previously leaning against a stalagmite took a few steps over to them. Her hair was at a bob length, done up with a bun at top. “Who are they?” She said, looking at their group with untrust in her eyes.

“Don’t worry so much Amaka. They’re not Water Nation.” She pointed her finger at Toph. “She’s the Avatar.”

\----- ----- ----- -----

Toph was thankful that Amaka didn’t seem phased by her Avatar-ness. It was sort of annoying when people did give her attention over that. Everyone always expected something from her. Azula and Zuko were cooler than most about it, but they still wanted her to save the world. Don’t get her wrong, she wanted to stop the Water Nation too, but it was a lot. 

Back at their tribe in the east it was more manageable. All the kids wanted her to do was toss some rocks around, and they’d worship her. She could get used to that kind of attention.

“Bull.” Said Amaka. “The Avatar’s gone. The Avatar wouldn’t have let this happen.”

Toph was tempted to chuck a rock at her, but considering that this was technically a sacred place for her people, she decided against it.

“I saw her earthbend!”

“So what? Just because she’s probably the last earthbender in the world doesn’t mean she’s the Avatar.”

The words echoed in her head. _The last earthbender._ Damn, that really sucked.

“Seriously, I’m the Avatar, unfortunately.”

The girl scoffed, and Toph sensed her walking away.

“So, where’s that healer? For my leg. You know, the one with the deep gash that's days away from getting infected.”

“Ha, that would be Amaka. I’ll get her. Just head over to the fire pit, they’re serving food right now. Some sort of soup.”

From what Toph could tell, there was a fair number of people in Jinu’s little resistance, although some of them seemed to be kids. It wasn’t that surprising. People expected her to save the whole world after all, and she wasn’t even a teenager.

Someone handed her a bowl of soup. “So, you’re the Avatar?” 

“Yea. What kind of soup is this?”

“Uh, just some fish and herbs.”

She took a cautious sip. It was okay. Fish wasn’t her favorite kind of food, but the herbs added some flavor.

Amaka, and another girl sat down near Azula. Jinu stayed standing. She cleared her throat.

“As you guys know, I found the Avatar and her.. friends? Are you guys friends?”

“Sure.” Replied Toph.

“Okay. So, I found them. Wasp, I know you were also scouting today. Did you see anything?”

If the person Jinu referred to as Wasp said anything, Toph didn’t hear it. She assumed that they hadn’t said anything, if it wasn’t for Jinu cursing under her breath after a short pause. 

She leaned toward Zuko, keeping her voice low. “Yo dude, what am I missing here?”

“Looks like sign language.”

“Can you understand it?”

“Why would I understand Air Kingdom sign language?”

“Fair point.” She replied. “Hey Jinu, what’s going on?”

“Wasp found a message being sent to the outpost near here. They’re sending more soldiers. They’ll be here in a few days.”

“We’ll stay and help you then.” Blurted out Zuko.

Toph really didn’t care enough to argue back. The Avatar was supposed to help people anyways. Might as well go on a meaningful detour rather than nearly get eaten by condor-spiders.

\----- ----- ----- -----

Jinu had a spare tent that she pitched for Azula, Toph, and him to sleep in. Toph insisted on making her own rock tent, so that left him and his sister.

Azula threw open the tent flap. “We’re leaving.”

“Huh?”

“That Amaka girl, the one Jinu said could heal me, is an Agni damned waterbender. We’re leaving.”

Azula rolled up her sleeping mat, shoving it into her pack.

“Come on, if they trust her she has to be decent. She’s healing you.”

“She’s a horrible healer.”

“Azula, we promised to help them.”

“You promised to help them! I didn’t say anything.” She turned and walked out of the tent.

Zuko got up, following her. “What, are you just gonna leave? The Water Nation’s out there.”

She scoffed. “I can handle myself.”

Jinu rushed over to him. “Is she mad about Amaka? Look, she’s not like other waterbenders. She hates the Water Nation just as much as I do!”

“Tell it to her, not me.”

She nodded and rushed off in the same direction that Azula went. Zuko turned around, facing the person who was using sign language at the fire pit last night. Wasp, maybe? Along with a boy.

They began signing to him. The boy spoke up. “They noticed your swords last night.”

“Oh, um, thanks?”

The boy signed what Zuko had just said to him, and signed as he spoke. “I’m Tenu, by the way. They were wondering if you wanted to spar with them. ”

Instead of holding swords, they only held two hilts. They noticed his confusion and gave a small laugh.

“They use airbending to channel air into the sword hilt. It’s totally invisible.” Explained Tenu. 

“Uh, I’m not that good.” He said. “But I guess a few rounds won’t hurt.”

They lead him to an open space in the cavern, a clear rectangle drawn to show where the sparring floor begins and ends. Zuko and Wasp past the line, standing on opposite sides.

Wasp rushed towards him without warning. Zuko steps to the side just in time, and feels the wind of their blade rush past him. It’s that close. He swings the sword in his left hand as Wasp raises their right. He meets no resistance, and a second later he’s been knocked down by the flat of the invisible blade.

They signed something, Tenu translated. “They say you suck.”

He slowly stood up. “It’s not like I had anyone to train me.”

“Well neither did Wasp! They figured out the wind sword thing all on their own.” More translating. “Why don’t you firebend? It’d be a lot more… effective.” Tenu paused for a second. “Ooo, you could make your swords hot! Or on fire!”

The excitement faded from Tenu’s face when he looked at Zuko. It’s not like he meant to look so mad over the question they’d asked. “Yea, sorry.” He mumbled. “You don’t have to answer that.”

Wasp moved their hands in a motion that had to be the sign for air. “Airbending is banned in every Water Nation occupied town. When I first met Wasp they didn’t want to airbend either. We get it.”

Wasp nodded, giving him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Wanna give it another go?”

Zuko nodded, raising his blades again.

\----- ----- ----- -----

Azula found herself sitting at the opening of the tunnel they had come from. She tried to focus on something else, like how the leaves moved in the wind. It was no use. Anger bubbled up in her like lava.

“Hey.” Jinu’s voice interrupted her thoughts. 

Azula turned and glared at her. “What do you want?”

She sat down. “I just want to talk.”

Azula crossed her arms. “Fine then. Say what you want.”

“I’ve known Amaka for three years now. When I first met her she saved my life. I didn’t care back then. I was mad at the Water Nation, at waterbenders, and she was one of them.”

“Let me guess, you’ve had a change of heart? Save it. I don’t need your cliches.”

“We don’t choose what we’re born as. Only what we become. I could have easily been born in the Water Nation. So could you. Azula, I know how you feel. They’ve hurt so many people, and I’m not asking you to be nice to Amaka, or trust her. Just keep an open mind, ok?”

“I’m not letting her heal me.”

“I’m not going to try and convince you to. I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay.” She tossed her a bandage wrap. “That should be better for you than some piece of fabric.”

The aforementioned bloody piece of fabric was gripped tightly in Azula’s hand. Only now she noticed that she had dug her nails into her palms enough to draw blood.

She nodded and wrapped the bandage around her calf. 

“I know you don’t seem thrilled about staying here, but I could use your help tomorrow.”

“What kind of help?”

“Just protecting the village for a few hours. Usually I’d ask someone else, but we’re going through a rough patch.”

“How so?”

“Bloodbenders.” Hate filled her voice. “They really did a number on us last time. They hurt Amaka’s brother. It’s been a week and he’s not much better. She won’t risk leaving her brother. Tenu isn’t a bender, there’s no way I’m putting him through that again.”

Azula had never been the victim of bloodbending. It was a rare ability, and they didn’t feel the need to waste the benders who were considered the Nation’s finest on the raids she had lived through as a child. 

“I suppose you’ve experienced it then. What’s it like?”

“Horrible. You’re completely helpless. It’s the worst feeling in the world. And it usually hurts. Sort of like something is burning from the inside of your body.”

“And you want me to come with you because..?”

“Well, I haven’t seen you firebend that much, but I can tell you're powerful. Water and fire are supposed to be opposites, right? I asked Zuko earlier-”

“And he said no of course. You couldn’t get him to firebend if his life depended on it.”

“Why?”

“Oh I’d assume it’s because firebending is the thing that’s caused problems for the Eastern Fire Tribe during the Hundred Year War. It’s why the Water Nation raided us after all.” 

“How many of you are there left?”

“Just my family. Although I haven’t heard from my dad and uncle in years. They left to fight in the war when I was a kid.”

“What about your mom?”

Azula stiffened, standing up. Pain flared through her left leg as she rose.. “I’ll join you tomorrow. Just get me when it’s time.”

A low growl came from the forest, and Toph’s beast emerged. Along with Toph. “Sup dunderheads.” She greeted, vaulting up to the entrance with a pillar of earth. The badgermole laid down on the ground, curling up.

“Where were you? And why are you wearing a cloak?” Jinu asked.

“I wanted to check out that town. The cloak is my disguise.”

Azula didn’t care or want to be there anymore, so she turned around and walked down the tunnel. 

Jinu asked about her mother. It was meant to be small talk, Azula knew that. It still struck a nerve in her. Her mother was taken by the Water Nation, and shortly after that the rest of her family went to fight the war. It happened at night. She didn’t know her mother was gone until the raiders had left.

That wasn’t the sore spot. Her mom was gone, so was everyone else. She could handle that, she could support herself. The sore spot was her mom as a whole, which she didn’t want to think about. 

She entered the cavern and looked around. Zuzu seemed to be sparring with the person who had been using sign language last night, although they didn’t wield swords, only the hilts. After watching Zuko get knocked down by some seemingly invisible force, she figured it was probably some airbender technique. Tenu laughed, Zuko scowled. He tried to kick at their legs to knock them off balance, but the airbender jumped back with ease. She considered asking to spar for a round, air against fire, but she’d probably end up accidentally burning her opponent on accident. Not exactly a good impression to make.

She noticed Amaka, watching the match from a distance. The water she controlled around her hands was glowing. Healing. Her palms were placed against a young boy’s chest. The brother Juni mentioned, she assumed. He couldn’t have been any older than Toph. Too young for war, but that sort of thing didn’t matter anymore.

Azula walked closer to the sparring match. “So, you aren’t a bender, right Tenu?”

He nodded, not bothering to take his eyes off the current match. Zuzu had managed to hold his ground for more than five seconds this time. He moved in, clearly overstepping. Wasp dodged to the side, sending a gust of wind at him. Already off balance, he fell.

Wasp tucked the sword hilts into their pocket, signing something. Tenu translated. “The problem is your balance. You try to copy how I move, my agility, but you lack the balance to actually keep up.You aren’t an airbender, so the air won’t work with you the way it does for me. Anchor yourself to the ground.”

Zuko sighed. “I think I’m done for today.”

Wasp looked over at Azula, signing. “They’re wondering if you wanted to spar.”

She shook her head. “No thanks.”

The next day it was unusually humid as they stepped out of the tunnel and made their way to the town.

Jinu spoke up. “We probably won’t have much trouble today. But if we do, don’t back down. No weakness, no evasion. Attack head on, with no mercy. They will never take this village.”

It was a sharp contrast from the Jinu Azula had spoken to yesterday, telling her that Amaka was a good person. She would have assumed that she’d be more of a pacifist type. Apparently not. 

They reached the village shortly. Jinu grabbed her staff from behind her back, and they walked the perimeter of the town.

“I have a bad feeling about today.” She muttered. 

It was eerily quiet. Cicadas buzzed in the nearby foliage. 

During the brief seconds Azula would turn her attention to the village, she saw no one. It wasn’t necessarily a suspicious circumstance. The townspeople could just be taking cover, this being a warzone. But something felt off. Azula slowly walked into the village, Jinu following. She raised her fists.

The humidity dropped. For a short moment she couldn’t breathe. 

Jinu’s voice filled with a noticeable distress. “They’re here. Keep- _AAGH_!” An ice spike lodged in her side, knocking her to the ground. Frantic, Azula spin-kicked a ring of fire in every direction.

The soldiers advanced, stepping out of the shadows and from behind the homes and shops. Each one of them waterbenders. Taking a quick glance, all of them were in the same direction. She took a depth breath, spreading her feet apart, running through a stance half learned, and punched her fists to the sky. A wall of flame shot up. She turned away, quickly helping Jinu to her feet, rushing away. She could feel the chi of the fire dying, left without fuel. 

The airbender coughed. “Cool firebending.”

She laid her down at the outskirts of the village. The icicle was melting quickly, and the wall of flame was no help. Blood was already seeping into her clothes.

Jinu sat up, wincing as she did. “Get back to the hideout. Warn the others. Get out of here.”

“What happened to never backing down? You know, the thing you told me on the way over here.”

She grabbed onto Azula’s collar. Her voice filled with pain and fear. “The Avatar is more important than this. Please. Get to the Western Fire Tribe.”

“Oh for Agni’s sake!” She pulled the girl to her feet, helping her walk. “I’m not going to run away like some dishonorable… er, I’m not running away!”

More waterbenders emerged from the tree line. Azula punched a blast of fire, causing a few to jump back, but the others persisted. The fact they couldn’t make it back to the hideout together became apparent.

Jinu clutched her side, where blood flowed out from her now melted ice wound. “Just go. I can handle myself. I know how to patch up a wound like this.”

It was the logical choice. The strategic choice. A choice that, if someone had asked her a few months ago what decision she would make, she would have answered without hesitation.

Why was she finding herself paralyzed now? Jinu raised her free hand up, making eye contact with Azula. “Brace yourself.”

She brought her hand down and a blast, a shockwave really, shot out. If it wasn’t for her warning she would have had the air knocked out of her lungs as she landed on the ground several feet away. She landed hands first, tumbling forward and rolling a few times. Her palms and knees burned, but she stood up, running through the trees. Back to the hideout, away from Jinu, taking one finale look at her, slumped over with both hands on the open wound.

Adrenaline pumped through her heart as she propelled herself up to the tunnel opening with blasts of fire from her feet and fists, landing clumsily. For a moment after she entered the cavern, people were calm. Until they realized Jinu wasn’t behind her. Azula looked like she had been through hell, and the expression on her face clearly conveyed how wrong things went.

“The reinforcements came early,” She said breathlessly. “They got Jinu. Toph, Zuko, we need to get out of here.”

“Oh, so you’re just gonna leave us once things get hard.” Spat Amaka.

She turned to face the waterbender, anger burning inside her. “Jinu specifically told me that getting the Avatar out of here was more important. I don’t take any joy in abandoning this place, but getting the Avatar to her destination, mastering firebending, will help the world far more than a ground of teenagers stubbornly defending a single village.”

“You’d defend it if it was your home!”

“I highly doubt that this is your home, waterbender.”

“Well it’s theirs!” She yelled, gesturing to Tenu and Wasp. Tenu was focused on translating, Wasp was focused on watching said translation.

Toph grabbed her by the arm. “Come on then.”

Zuko followed reluctantly. “What’ll happen to Jinu?”

“She’ll get captured if she doesn’t die.”

He glared at her. “How can you be so uncaring?!”

“I’m not. I didn’t want to leave her Zuko.”

“Oh su-” 

Toph had thrown a pebble at Zuko this time. “Quit yammering. Sparky here is telling the truth.”

Too tired to ask how Toph knew, Azula stayed silent. They reached the badgermole, climbed on, and tunnelled back down.”

“We can’t just leave her captured.” Said Zuko. “It’s not right.”

Her brother was so ignorant sometimes. Right and wrong don’t always matter in the war. You do what needs to be done to beat the enemy. The ends justify the means. That's what her father said. Of course Zuko always listened to their mom more. Still, she found herself agreeing.

“The Water Nation has an outpost nearby. We’d find her there.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LEAVE KUDOS AND COMMENT to cure depression  
> oh my god this took soooo fucking long oh my godddd jesus fuckingggg hell.  
> Btw most earth kingdom characters from the og series are just not gonna exist anymore. Sry babes. Yes these are basically the freedom fighters. Sry for anyone who wanted to see jet and co, that was the og plan but BAM this happened. And yes, wasp is nonbinary!  
> Me in the tags; yea azula has psychosis. Me writing; completely failing to write psychosis symptoms despite having a form of it.  
> also if you want updates on my writing, follow me on twitter @/solis_stercus


	4. Prison Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> they break people out of prison lol, chapter title is p self explanatory

Zuko returned to their little camp with a wanted poster, dropping it on Azula’s lap. She scoffed as she looked down on it.

“Is this supposed to be me?” The resemblance was horrible. 

“Jinu is clearly long gone.” He said. “There’s no way we can follow her trail.”

Toph sat up from the large tree root she was lying on. “I could have told you dunderheads that hours ago. I don’t sense her at all. Let’s face it, we aren’t going to find her. She can probably handle herself anyways.”

Azula scowled. There was no honor in abandoning a fellow warrior. “There’s still a way we can find her.” She glanced at Zuko. “Judging on the Water Navy’s treatment of firebenders, I don’t think they would allow airbenders to be free either.”

He nodded. “Wasp told me that. Airbending is banned in occupied towns. What does this have to do with finding Jinu? I asked Tenu before we left. They don’t know where they take them.”

Tao, who was sitting in Zuko’s lap, quacked at her.

“So you get arrested for airbending. Punch the air or something, I’ll pretend to be knocked back. We do that infront of a Water Nation soldier and you’ll be taken to wherever they took Juni.”

“Or they could kill me. Or send me to an entirely different place.”

“I’m aware. Do you have a better plan?”

“I repeat, they could _kill_ me.”

“And I could kill them faster.”

“I think I could kill them faster Sparky.” Retorted Toph.

“No one’s killing anyone! And why aren’t you volunteering to be arrested? Jinu was your friend.”

“Please Zuzu, I don’t have friends. And...” She pointed to her leg, “I’m not in the best condition.”

Toph responded by lightly punching her on the wounded leg. “Oh toughen up.”

“I will fry you while you sleep.”

Toph threw a pebble at her again. 

“Alright, lemme get this plan straight. You two bozos will do the fake airbending act. I’ll follow Zuko since I can do that from a distance easier. We come back with Jinu.” She said.

“Exactly,” Replied Zuko. “but I still think this is a bad plan.”

“Whatever. Like Azula said, we don’t have a better one.”

\----- ----- ----- -----

Zuko is carted away in chains, and Azula feels a pang of emotion over it. Toph follows them stealthily. Azula waits. She walked back to camp, kept watch.

Night fell. Despite her determination to stay awake, sleep forced its way in. She’s tired, too tired to reject it. Until a nightmare woke up and the ghost of her mother stared at her face when her eyes opened.

She always looked so real.

She huffed, standing up and walking away. Mom would always follow her.

When she was younger she would scream at Ursa to leave her alone. She learned not to do that quickly. She saw the looks people would give her, part fear and part pity. She hated being pitied. And Azula wasn’t crazy. She didn’t need people thinking she was.

Zuko had forgotten about those days. Li and Lo hadn’t, but they knew better than to mention it.

Glimpses of her flashed in the corners of the firebender’s eyes. 

_Azula._

She clenched her jaw. She would not speak to her. Azula didn’t know where she was walking. And part of her knew it wouldn’t help, the walking. But she had to. It was better than laying fitfully in a sleeping bag as the ghost loomed over her.

_Why won’t you talk to me?_

It was infuriating. Zuko got peace, Azula got a ghost taunting her. It wasn’t fair.

_But it is what you deserve._

She spun to face her mother. “No it’s not!”

The ghost's eyes bore into her soul. It wasn’t quite mom anymore.

“We’re saving Jinu! Isn’t that enough?”

And the unspoken. Of course it isn’t. She was never enough for Ursa. It never is. 

“ _WHY_!” She screamed. “I’m a warrior, a prodigy. I’m what we need right now, in a war! You were a fool for thinking otherwise!”

But she didn’t die for her. She didn’t give herself to the Water Nation for her.

_Azula. That’s not what this is about._

She punched her hand in the direction of a tree, fire bursting from her enclosed fist. “SHUT UP!”

She marched down the hill back to camp. Deep breaths. Compose yourself. 

Toph was there when she got back. “Where were you? I was about to go look for you myself.”

“A walk. I thought you’d be returning with Zuko and Jinu.”

The earthbender didn’t ask more than that. “Zuko didn’t want to leave. He wants to free the rest of them.”

“Oh Zuzu, such a bleeding heart.”

_Stop making fun of your brother._

“Sure. I came to get you. So hop on Pissbender and lets get on with this.”

Toph crawled onto her beast, and Azula followed. The first thing she was on top of the saddle was Zuko’s pet. “Are we really bringing that?”

“What, would you rather me leave an orphan baby turtleduck alone on the campsite?” She turned around with a wide grin. “Great idea Azula!” Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Agni above Toph, as you said, get on with it.”

“Yea yea.” She patted the badgermole twice and they dove into the ground.

Once they had gotten a bit more stable, Azula snapped her fingers and a small flame appeared in her left hand. Tao quacked and crawled into her lap.

The thing was kind of cute.

“How are we going to free a whole prison camp of airbenders?”

“Zuko’s gonna fill us in when we get there.”

Azula pet Tao on the head. It was cute, she’d give it that. She could give it a few head pats.

\----- ----- ----- -----

When they arrive Toph opens a hole for them to go through, while Pissbender and Tao stay behind in the tunnels. It seemed to be in a blindspot between the two watchtowers. The beams of light swoop past them, just missing where they needed to look. Zuko and Jinu sat crouched, wearing brown prison garb.

“So Zuzu, what’s the big plan?” She whispered.

“The Water Nation’s whole thing here is breaking the spirits of the people here.”

Jinu backed him up. “Yea, I can already feel my soul dying.”

“I don’t get how I’m supposed to help these people find their courage again. They have their element all around them.”

“Have you tried giving them a rousing speech about honor?” Azula asked sarcastically.

“He tried two.” Said Jinu.

Toph chuckled.

Jinu shifted, and Azula noticed the thick handcuffs around her wrists, and the ball and chain attached to her ankles. “Basically we’re going to start a prison riot.. We start the riot, we fight back, and _hopefully_ other people join in.”

“Do you think it’ll work?” Asked Azula.

Jinu bit her lip. “I don’t know. I’m hoping that when they see me fighting back, they’ll join in. But some people have been here for decades. I’ve talked to some of them. It crushes you, this place, if you’re here long enough. But it’s our only option.”

The first cracks of the sun began to appear over the horizon. Azula could already feel its warmth.

“Everyone is sent to the prison yard in a few hours, to make sure that each prisoner is still here. You guys will return then.”

Toph nodded, grabbing Azula’s arm. “Brace yourself Sparky.”

The earth opened up beneath then. She landed on her bad leg, a jab of pain shooting through her. She bit her cheek and lit a small fire in her hand. Toph’s beast laid a few feet away. Tao quacked excitedly when she saw them, waddling her way over to Azula.

“Awww, looks like someone’s gone soft.”

“What? She’s cute. And I haven’t _gone soft_.”

“Whatever you say.”

\----- ----- ----- -----

It was easy to tell when the airbenders(and one firebender who refused to firebend) filled the yard. Dozens of footsteps vibrated through the earth, from the surface above down to where Toph sat.

“Yo, it’s time.” She said the Azula. “Put Tao down.”

Azula places Tao back on the ground, standing up. Toph could sense her heartbeat, elevating ever so slightly.

“Scared Sparky?”

Despite being blind, she could sense Azula glaring at her. “I am not _scared_. I just want this to work.”

“Mmhm.” She was clearly lying. Other than that, she had sensed something off about the her since they had gotten here. She couldn’t place what. It wasn’t any specific emotion really. 

“Agni above, shoot up us to the surface already.”

Toph punched up without warning, breaking her fists apart to split the earth. They rose to the surface, and she could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin. 

She felt Azula stumble to her feet, settling into a fighting stance.

“Alright listen up!” She yelled, her voice carrying through the yard. “I’m the Avatar. After 100 years I’ve returned to bring balance to the world. And I’m here to free you.”

Jinu screamed “Riot!” some distance away, and she heard a gust of wind that probably came from her.

The rest of the prisoners stood unsure, conflicted. Spirits, it couldn’t be easy, huh?

So far she could only sense one guard in the surrounding, although there were definitely others, dozens, who would arrive sooner or later. The prisoners outnumbered them 10 to 1.

She kicked a rock into the air, hurling it where the guard was standing, knocking him off his feet. He didn’t rise, although she could still sense his heart beating. 

“Show no mercy!” Yelled one of the guards.

An alarm gong rang, and she felt pairs of feet jump down to the earth below. They made this too easy.

A simple shift in the stance of her feet, and she sent ripples of earth towards them, undetectable until they rose to the surface.

She sensed Zuko and Jinu going toe to toe with a waterbender on the other side of the yard. She could tell they were a waterbender by the stance, how they moved. Waterbenders moved like water, airbenders moved like air. It was simple. Although sometimes Azula moved more like an earthbender, although that was probably from her lack of training.

An airbender other than Jinu fought, rushing to the aid of a fellow prisoner. Spirits, this plan was actually working. She couldn’t believe it.

“Toph, look out!” Yelled Azula, too late, as a waterbender attacked her from behind. 

They must have traveled on ice, avoiding her seismic sense. She rolled over, punching a slab of earth out to defend herself. 

The bender moved to a weirder stance. She didn’t know much about waterbending, but she had never “seen” a stance like that.

Pain shot through her body, pain without a source. She tried to look for injuries, but she couldn’t move her head. She was dragged out from under her shield. The waterbender, not just any waterbender, a bloodbender, pulled her into the air. The bastard had disconnected her from the earth.

Some earthbenders could control earth even when they weren’t connected to it, reaching out and sensing it. But she couldn’t try. Every cell in her body acted against her.

“The Avatar, huh?” Said the voice of the bloodbender. “You don’t look like much.”

The more she struggled against his grip, the more it hurt.

She felt heat rush past her. “Gah!” Screamed the guard, dropping her to the ground. 

“Stay away from her!” Yelled Azula, charging towards him. She kicked and punched fire at him in a mad fury. He didn’t have time to react.

Toph regained her senses and sent a small rock at his head, knocking him out.

She rose to the ground shakily, feeling like she had tried to hold up a mountain. “Thanks Azula. You saved my ass.”

“You’re ok?”

She nodded. “Come on, let’s go help the others. Who knows which of these guards are bloodbending bastards.” She’d make fun of Sparky for caring about her later.

Before leaving, she stomped the ground, making earthen restraints for their bloodbending pal. Just in case he woke up before they were done.

Azula was still distracted. That’s what was off about her. Whatever, she could bring it up later.

She stood next to Jinu and Zuko. “Guys, knock out the waterbenders quickly. I just got my ass bloodbent and it is not fun.”

“Got it.” They said in near unison. Jinu sent a gust of wind at a nearby guard, knocking them flat to the ground. Toph encased everything but their head in earth. 

They fought in a circle, overwhelming any guard who tried to take them. Zuko wasn’t much help, as he didn’t have his swords and still refused to firebend. Why didn’t they bring his swords? Azula shot blasts of fire to disorent them, while she or Jinu knocked them to the ground and knocked them out. She encases them in earth so they couldn’t bend. Meanwhile the other airbenders tossed the remaining guards like ragdolls. Unlike their group, they didn’t seem to care about using lethal force, and Toph sensed a few heartbeats die out on the ground.

Battles were overwhelming for her senses. She had to focus her range of sight, make it smaller, or she wouldn’t be able to make sense of anything.

“TOPH! Break down the wall!” Yelled Juni.

She rushed forward, Praying Mantis form, and sent a wave of earth to the wall. It was wooden, dug deep into the ground. She broke apart its foundations effortlessly.

“For the Air Kingdom!” Yelled Juni, knocking down a guard in front of her.

All the guards were down. Toph breathed a sigh of relief. An older person walked up to her.

“You’re really the Avatar?” He asked hopefully.

“Yea.”

The man unexpectedly pulled her into a hug. “Thank you. For saving all of us.”

She wriggled away after a few seconds. “Yea, ‘s no problem.”

“No, what you did here was incredibly brave and selfless, for people you wouldn’t even know would fight back. My people owe you their thanks.”

A few of the former prisoners spoke quick “thank you”s to her as they walked by.

Her energy was sapped. She walked over to Zuko, Azula, and Jinu.

“Oo, you don’t look too good.” Said the airbender.

“She got bloodbent earlier.” Replied Azula.

“Ugh, it’s a real strain on your body. We’ve got some tea back at the hideout that’s supposed to help.”

“I’ll be fine. We should get moving again.”

Zuko patted her on the back. “You actually want to get moving? No detours?”

“Yea. Honestly the condor-spiders were kind of a let down. They’ve gotten lamer since a hundred years ago.”

“What about you Jinu?” He asked.

“I’ll probably help these people take back their villages. Along with my friends, obviously. They’ll be happy to see me. And Toph, it’s been nice meeting you. Good luck on your journey to the Western Fire Tribe.”

She nodded. Jinu moved in to give Azula a hug, which she clearly didn’t appreciate. “See you around.” She let go and began to walk away, heading over to the huddled crowd of airbenders nearby. 

The rest of them made their way to the cave entrance where Toph had directed Pissbender to go. She heard a low growl, a friendly one, from the cave and ran forward, petting her friend.

“Missed you dude.”

Tao quacked from the saddle. 

Zuko and Azula climbed up. She cursed. “I’m bleeding. I must have lost that bandage in the fight.” Toph jumped up, the earth supporting her. “We’ve got more bandages somewhere up here.”

“Yea, I know.”

“So,” Said Zuko “I bet you felt pretty good about saving all those people. Heroic.”

“Whatever.” She lightly punched him. “That kind of thing doesn’t matter, I couldn’t care less. I look out for myself swordboy. I only did that because you guys wanted to.”

She was half-lying about that. Maybe, _maybe,_ helping people mattered to her. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave comments and kudos it means the world to me <3  
> Alternate chapter title: prison break go brrr  
> just to clarify, Ursa is a hallucination here. Also, while i do have a form of psychosis, i dont have persistent hallucinations, so im not sure how accurate this is.  
> The whole prison break took a backseat here so i could finally get the azula centric chapter out. As you can see this chapter is based on imprisoned, one of my favorite s1 episodes, and i feel sorta disappointed that i didn’t get to go in depth about the effects of war in the way they did in the episode. But i needed to establish azulas psychosis things.  
> BATTLE SCENES R HARD >:(  
> Toph IS neutral on the moral alignment ok. You cannot tell me otherwise. It jsut aint true.


	5. Full Moon Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph connects with her past life and makes a terrifying discovery about the stakes of the war.

Azula starred at the stars in the night sky. If she laid still enough in her sleeping bag, ignoring the sounds of the crackling fire and the crickets, the earth would fall away. She would be in the sky, among the stars.

The sound of rustling fabric and heavy breathing brought her back down. She turned her head to see Toph, hugging her knees, eyes wide.

The young girl took a deep breath, regaining some composure. “What are you doing awake?”

“I’m more concerned with what’s got you bolting out of bed.” The firebender sat up, giving a sidelong glance to her brother and Tao, both undisturbed.

“I- I dunno. It was this feeling, power I felt but couldn’t connect to. It was overwhelming. There was this huge sense of dread, a giant wave crashed into me, and I woke up.”

‘Hmm. Could it be an omen? Something spiritual?”

Toph flopped back down to the ground. “I hope not. I’m shit with spiritual things.”

Azula yawned. They’d figure this out in the morning. She pulled her sleeping bag over her head. Sleep came easy.

\----- ----- ----- -----

Zuko watched as Azula spends the morning trying to control their campfire, watching the flames rise and fall with her breath. The fire called out to him. He ignored it.

Toph talked about some sort of spiritual omen she had last night, with a distinct bitterness in her voice. “I was never good at the spirit-y stuff, and now I don’t have a single monk to teach me.”

Azula diverted her attention from the fire for a brief moment. “Some parts of the Air Kingdom are still pretty spiritual. It’s not like it’s hopeless.”

“You said that a wave crashed into you at the end, right? Maybe it’s something to do with the Water Nation.” He speculated.

“Zuzu, I’m surprised. I didn't know you could be smart.” Azula took a sharp inhale, focused on the fire. It sputtered out. “Perhaps it’s related to your past lives? A previous avatar trying to tell you something?”

“The Avatar before me was Roku. Water Nation. I think I’m supposed to head south, find some place significant to him.”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Another detour then.”

“At least it’s not conder-spiders.”

“Well you can’t go alone.” Said Zuko. “You could get captured.”

Toph stood up, shifting her stance as she covered what was left of the campfire in dirt. A flick of the wrist and the ground smoothed out, as if they’d never been her. “We gotta go now then. Something about this feels urgent.”

Zuko scooped Tao up in his hands, and the three of them climbed onto Pissbender.

Toph ran her hand along the cave walls as the badgermole moved along, faster than usual. 

After what seemed like forever, she called out. “This is the place.”

The ground rumbled as they surfaced. It was twilight, the full moon just over the horizon. He shivered in the cold. Just behind them was the shore of the ocean.

Azula groaned. “Agni above, don’t tell me-”

“Southern tip of the Air Kingdom. Well, technically just past it. We’re in the Water Nation.”

Zuko suppressed the urge to scream. “Why the hell did you take us to the Water Nation?”

Toph shrugged, sliding off the badgermole. “Roku wanted me to go here.”

“Stay here.” Zuko whispered to Tao, giving her a small piece of bread before dismounting.

The young girl walked confidently up a hill, and a low dome came into view. In the light of the moon, he could guess it was made out of animal hide and bones. They got closer, and he realized it was partly underground.

“It’s a Qargi. A Water Nation ceremonial and council house, along with being a communal men’s home.”

He turned to his sister, confused. “How do you know that?”

Azula rolled her eyes. “Dad taught me. As I’ve said before, he felt it was important that I knew the enemy.”

Zuko pushed down his bubbling resentment and trudged forward with Toph.

“It’s abandoned.” Toph said. No one’s been here for over a century.”

Azula walked in first, fire on her fingertips illuminating the tunnel entrance.

The inside held one thing, a small human statue carved out of bone. 

Azula stepped closer, pointing at a piece of sea glass placed on top of the statue's head, and the hole in the ceiling directly above it. “Well there’s why you had to come during a full moon. The light is strongest.”

Toph’s fingers brushed against the statue. “I think I’m supposed to do this alone.”

Azula stepped away. “Fine by me, I’ve had enough of the spirits.” She grabbed Zuko’s hand, tugging him along.   
“Since when?”

She rolled her eyes yet again. “The Avatar, dumb dumb.”

Tao quacked happily when she saw they had returned, nearly falling from the saddle to the ground, Azula catching her. 

Zuko leaned against the side of the bagdermole, pulling some crumbs of bread from his pocket. 

“Do you really think you can teach that thing tricks? They have brains as big as those pieces of bread.”

He shot her a quick glare. “Tao is very smart!”

His sister raised her hands in mock defeat. “I surrender. Have fun teaching it tricks.”

\----- ----- ----- -----

Azula mentioned something about light hitting a stone when the moon is highest. Fat load of good that did her. She sighed and sat in a meditating position on the ground, the platform a few inches away.

“Spirits, I really don’t know what I’m doing.”

Toph wasn’t sure how to meditate beyond deep breathes and sitting a certain way. 

She stayed like that for who knows how long. She could have asked Zuko or Azula where the moon was in the sky, how long she would have to wait. She focuses on the presence of the statue, a weird anomaly among the familiar dirt. It was a vacuum, something she couldn’t see but knew it was there.

“ _ Toph. _ ” The voice wasn’t Zuko or Azula’s. 

She jumped up, kicking a rock into the air, ready to fight.

There was no one on the ground of the hut. “Show yourself!”

A ghostly hand touched her arm. She tried to swat it away, only to come back empty handed.

“ _ It’s good to see you Toph _ .”

“I can’t say the same. Who the hell are you?”

“ _ You don’t recognize your own past life? _ ”

Oh _.  _

She relaxed, placing a fist to her palm and bowing. “Roku. You sent me that dream.”

“ _ I’m assuming you’re curious about what it means _ .”

“No shit.”

There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. “ _ One hundred years ago Imiq and Taqqiq, the two leaders of the Water Nation, used the strength of a rare lunar event to begin the War. They united their armies and used their combined power to deal a deadly first strike against the other Nations. That is when they killed your people. _ ”

Doubt still tugged at her mind. Earth nomads were resilient, strong as the earth itself. If she had survived in a rock for 100 years, others would have lived too. Whatever. She’d deal with that later.

“Yea, ok. Firebenders have the summer solstice, airbenders get stronger in autumn. I already know about how waterbenders draw their power from the moon. What’s it got to do with the war now?”

“ _ Because it will happen again on the Winter Solstice. _ ”

Her heart dropped to the deepest pits of her stomach.

“I- what?”

“ _ Arnook and Hakoda, the new leaders of the Water Nation, will use this power to end the War once and for all. If they succeed it will devastate the balance of the world, and I’m afraid not even the Avatar could restore it. _ ”

“Woah, hold on. That's, it’s less than a year away.”

‘ _ Yes. And you must defeat them before this. _ ”

She stepped back, clenching her fists. “Then I’ll do it. I’m already close to the south pole. It wouldn’t take me long to travel north on-”

“ _ Toph _ .  _ You aren’t strong enough. You need to master all the elements. _ ”

“But I haven’t even started firebendering!” She countered. “You can’t expect me to master all the elements in less than a year!”

“ _ I know you can do it. You have done it before, in a thousand lifetimes.” _

She stammered. What if she couldn’t? Terror filled her body, threatening to spill out. 

“ _ The moon is passing. We must part ways for now. Goodbye Toph.” _

“WAIT! How am I supposed to find you again? 

_ I am always a part of you. You will find a way. _

And then he was gone.

She wanted to collapse back to the ground, to scream and shake the earth and sob. She couldn’t do this. She didn’t want to be the Avatar in the first place. Instead she took a deep breath, and stepped out of the room.

\----- ----- ----- -----

Azula and Zuko wait. Her brother managed to train Tao to come with a snap of the fingers, and now she watched as he tried to train her to go in a circle. She heard some rumbling from the Qargi earlier, but shrugged it off as weird spirit occurrences. 

Toph emerged, crawling onto Pissbender immediately. “We have to go.” Her voice was hollow.

She looked at the young girl with concern as they got onto the saddle. “I assume Roku told you something you didn’t like.”

Toph curled up, hugging her knees. “We just... need to get to the Western Fire Tribe soon.”

“Why? What did he tell you?” Asked Zuko.

The ground rumbled as the badgermole tunneled under the earth.

“I’m supposed to master all the elements before the Winter Solstice. Some lunar event’s gonna happen that’ll give waterbenders all this power.”

Azula nodded. “Taqqiq’s Moon.” She paused. “Agni, you mean it’s happening again? They completely devastated-”

“I know.” Toph snapped. “I was gonna just kill them now, the Water Nation leaders, but I’m not ready  _ apparently _ . Do you know how long it usually takes to master all four elements? Years. I don’t have years, I have months.”

“I can teach you the firebending I know.” She suggested. “We’ll get to the Western Fire Tribe as soon as possible, but it wouldn’t hurt to learn the basics.”

Toph sighed. “Yea, ok. Thanks.”

Azula took note of how despite how her voice hinted at her having calmed down, Toph stayed tensed up. 

She could hear Toph’s soft restrained sobs. Neither Zuko nor her knew how to respond, and the earthbender pushed her brother away when he tried to hug her. 

So they sat in silence. Sometimes there weren’t any words to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave comments and kudos please, it makes me very happy!!!  
> Once again sorry for such delayed updates, but i have a life outside of writing sadly. Wish i didnt have to go to high school, but unfortunately i must.  
> Credit to destinydrakes for the concept of zuko training Tao.  
> (oh and the chapter title is a dragon prince reference to the s2 episode "Half Moon Lies" because i can teehee)


End file.
